1899 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
681 
Among the Marketmen. 
WHAT I SEE AND HEAR. 
TOO MUCH DIFFERENCE—In one 
of the quick-lunch restaurants, I saw a 
card announcing that sliced tomatoes 
were 10 cents a dish. And this when a 
whole bushel box of them could be 
bought in the wholesale market for two 
or three times that sum. I have seen 
strawberries, raspberries and blackber¬ 
ries doled out in small dishes at 10 cents 
per dish, when they could be bought in 
the market for half that price per quart. 
Were the retail price of these and other 
products made more reasonable, much 
larger quantities would be consumed. In 
the cases mentioned, had the price per 
dish been halved, consumption would, 
probably, have been increased tenfold, 
and although the restaurant wouldn’t 
have made so much profit per dish, so 
many more would have been sold, that 
the aggregate profit would have been 
larger. The growers would have been 
able to sell much more, too. There’s too 
much margin in these and other cases. 
APPLE PROSPECTS—Without going 
into details, or particularizing about 
special localities, the general impression 
among dealers here seems to be that the 
Winter apple crop as a whole is larger 
than had been anticipated. Of course, 
it’s to their interest to think so. Most 
of those who have apples for sale seem 
to have got their ideas pretty well up 
as to prices, hence trading is slow. While 
it is, probably, true that the crop will be 
larger than was expected early in the 
season, it is unlikely that it will average 
heavy. Choice fruit is likely to bring, 
at least, fair prices, and it will pay to 
assort and pack carefully. 
BOGUS COMMISSION MERCHANTS. 
—The City is as full of them as ever. 
They seem to increase their activity at 
this season. Their methods are various, 
but always tricky. Some of them have 
places of business more or less elabo¬ 
rate, some have desk room only, some 
have no local habitation that any one 
can find. Addresses given by these men 
have led investigators to barber shops, 
cigar stores, livery stables, saloons, 
groceries, boarding houses and vacant 
buildings. They advertise from these 
places, make arrangements with the 
transportation companies to deliver any 
goods that may come to a confederate at 
some other place, and many of the ex¬ 
press companies help the frauds along 
by doing it. A favorite method adopted 
by these swindlers is to send out allur¬ 
ing circular letters telling of the great 
advantages they have for selling pro¬ 
duce, and what high prices they can se¬ 
cure. They generally seek products that 
can be easily handled. At this time of 
year, many of them make a specialty of 
chestnuts. Some of the biggest rascals 
make a specialty of soliciting trial ship¬ 
ments. These they sell for what they 
can get, and return prices somewhat 
above those paid by any other dealer. 
This is only bait, but it generally results 
in heavy shipments for which nothing is 
usually returned. Then soon their places 
of business know them no more. One 
swindler the past Summer is said to 
have secured $10,000 worth of produce in 
a few weeks’ time. Beware of the men 
who make big promises, and of those 
who claim to secure extravagant prices. 
e. h. v. 
HERE AND THERE. 
Syracuse Market-Place.— The old mar¬ 
ket-place in Syracuse has been converted 
into a park, and the farmers are obliged to 
stand wherever they can when selling their 
produce. A movement is on foot to estab¬ 
lish a new and permanent market, and p.io- 
lic-spirited citizens of Syracuse and farm¬ 
ers of the surrounding country are organiz¬ 
ing a company. They expect to raise a 
capital of $300,000 to establish a market¬ 
place in the city. The site already select¬ 
ed covers nearly three acres, and contains 
a large steel building that would be valu¬ 
able for market purposes. They expect to 
provide for cold storage and the manufac¬ 
ture of artificial ice. Plans will be adopt¬ 
ed to hold the surplus of all perishable 
products, and dispose of them so that no 
very stale vegetables will be left over from 
day to day. If the farmers and buyers in 
Syracuse could get together in this way, 
they will do much to solve the market 
problem. In England, the market-place is 
a fixture in every little town or city. One 
of our readers is to go abroad this year 
with a camera, to make a special study of 
English market-places. We think he will 
find something that will be of great help 
to farmers on this side of the water. 
From Ohio. —Farmers are about done 
thrashing. Some crops light. Corn me¬ 
dium, drying up very fast. Potatoes poor, 
and worth 35 to 40 cents; sales slow. Ap¬ 
ples falling badly. Weather very hot, sev¬ 
eral days 98 in the shade. Selling apples 
at 75 cents to $1.25 per barrel, buyers fur¬ 
nish barrels; barrels cost 33 1-3 cents. 
Some are selling orchards. Will be one- 
third of an apple crop. All other kinds of 
fruit scarce. Melon crop light. Cucumbers 
did very well. Farmers are raising cow 
peas in place of clover; they beat clover; 
can sow on wheat stubble. I sowed wheat 
after peas, and it did well on poor land. 
Marietta. Ohio. s. s. t. 
New Methods. —In this portion of Michi¬ 
gan, we had no rain during the whole 
month of August, and the potato growers 
fear that the crop will be greatly lessened 
by the long drought. Their main hope is 
that prices will be higher on account of the 
lighter yields. The soil is so hard that 
very little Fall plowing can be done, and 
farmers can have more time to get together 
and compare ideas. I am sorry that new 
methods are making such slow progress 
here. Of course, some of our best farmers 
are using the newer methods of agriculture, 
and the others follow but slowly, and seem 
to carry the idea that advanced farming is 
but the theories of men who never had any 
experience in farming, but earn their living 
by writing for the papers. e. l. p. 
Kent Co., Mich. 
Orange County Fair.— Middletown, N. Y. 
The 59th annual exhibition of the Orange 
County Agricultural Society was held on 
the grounds of the society September 12 to 
15. The chief attraction on Tuesday was 
Gov. Roosevelt. The attendance on that 
day was, probably, greater than it ever 
was before on an opening day. The exhi¬ 
bition was about the same as usual. The 
main buildings were devoted to the indus¬ 
trial exhibit, including specimens of fancy 
work, etc., by the women of Orange County. 
The tent set aside for products of the cul¬ 
inary art was not very well filled. The 
fruit tent was filled to overflowing with 
apples; so many were there that extra 
tables had to be brought in to hold them. 
Other fruits, such as peaches, pears and 
grapes were not up to the average of pre¬ 
vious years. The vegetable tent was well 
filled with a fine display of vegetables. 
There has, evidently, been a great improvt- 
ment in the quality of the vegetables pro¬ 
duced in this county during the past ten 
years. The cattle display was not what 
one would naturally expect to see in a 
dairy district like Orange County. How¬ 
ever, the cows had a business appearance 
that probably meant profit to their owners. 
Holstein and Ayrshire blood prevailed. The 
side attractions were a drill by a local ar ¬ 
tillery company, balloon ascension, races 
and base ball games. Taken altogether, 
the fair was, perhaps, an ideal county fair; 
the weather was perfect, the attendance 
satisfactory and officers and visitors were 
happy. G. 
A Milk War.—T he daily papers an¬ 
nounced this week that the milk farmers 
in Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess 
Counties, who supply the condensed milk 
factories with milk, have struck for higher 
prices, and refuse to renew their contracts. 
The statement is made that the condenser- 
ies have cut down the price of milk, and 
that SO per cent of the farmers have refused 
to sign the contract. Of course, there are 
two sides to all these questions. The 
Borden Condensed Milk Company give their 
side of the matter as follows: 
“At Certain times, we make contracts 
with the farmers for our milk supply. If 
you have kept the run of our prices, you 
have noticed that they are always high- 
in fact, above the regular market price of 
milk. Now, here are some people who get 
together and say they are going to make 
us raise this price. Of course, we know 
just about what we can pay, and w« can t 
go above this, and continue to do business. 
We don’t know the exact per cent that 
have bolted in the section mentioned, but 
the number stated is very much exagger¬ 
ated. Quite likely most of these people 
will change their minds in a few days, but 
in any event, we can get our full supply of 
milk without those who wish to stay out.’ 1 
We have been unable to obtain a definite 
statement of the farmers’ side of the con¬ 
troversy, except that the price offered for 
milk is far below what it ought to be. if 
the farmers in these counties could only 
hold together, and refuse to supply milk 
except at a fair price, they could in time 
carry out their point. The condenseries 
could stand the loss of milk longer than the 
city dealers could, but in time, their sur¬ 
plus would be sold out, and they would be 
forced to agree to a fair price for milk. As 
is well known, the condenseries do not per¬ 
mit their patrons to feed ensilage. Scien¬ 
tific men have been unable to discover that 
milk is injured by such feeding. Yet the. 
condenseries refuse to accept it. As is well 
known, ensilage is one of the cheapest cow 
feeds, and will be especially useful this 
year when hay is scarce and high. The 
condenseries, therefore, ought to pay con¬ 
siderably more for the milk, if they refuse 
to accept ensilage-fed milk. 
In talking with the manager of the 
Borden Company last week, the following 
conversation took place, and this reason for 
refusing to accept ensilage milk is about as 
close as we have ever been able to pin them 
down: 
“Why do you refuse to accept milk where 
ensilage is fed?” 
“Briefly I will say that, by numerous ex¬ 
periments, we have proved to our satisfac¬ 
tion that ensilage, as it is commonly pre¬ 
pared, and in the state of sourness and de¬ 
cay in which it is ordinarily fed, is not a 
proper food to produce first-class milk. If 
it were perfectly preserved so as to avoid 
this sourness and decay, it might do; but 
there is very little of this sort of ensilage.” 
“Then you are obliged to condemn all en¬ 
silage because there is so much that is im¬ 
properly handled, and it would be impos¬ 
sible for you to inspect it so as to know 
where to draw the line?” 
“That is about the situation.” 
Delaware State Fair.— This fair was 
held at Dover, September 5 to 8. The dis¬ 
plays of fruit and vegetables were simply 
immense in quantity, and well up in quality. 
About 3,000 plates of fruit were shown, be¬ 
sides a large quantity of peck and basket 
exhibits. Mr. Frank M. Soper, of Magno¬ 
lia, Del., showed 1,200 plates of apples, 
pears, peaches, plums and grapes. His dis¬ 
play of plums was very fine, and consisted 
of 21 varieties shown on 550 plates. J. W. 
Killen, of Felton, Del., showed 23 varieties 
of grapes, 60 of apples, and a smaller num¬ 
ber of peaches, pears and quinces. The 
Peninsula Horticultural Society showed 
over 500 plates of fruit. Mr. J. W. Killen 
won Burpee’s prize for largest collection of 
vegetables grown from Burpee’s seeds, hav¬ 
ing on exhibition 157 varieties. His exhibit 
was of most excellent quality, the speci¬ 
mens shown being remarkably perfect and 
true to type. Peaches and white potatoes 
were in light supply, but tomatoes and 
sweet potatoes were largely in evidence. A 
cooking contest, for a prize stove valued at 
$25, and offered by T. K. Jones & Bro., of 
Dover, to the woman who should cook a 
specified dinner on the Fair Grounds in the 
best manner and shortest time, attracted 
much attention, and was won by Miss Ella 
Downes, of Dover. An attractive novelty 
was a life-size vegetable man, made by C. 
L. Walker, of Mermaid, Del. The figure 
was made from 20 varieties of vegetables 
and fruits, and weighed 120 pounds. The 
cooking lectures by Miss Colling, of Penn¬ 
sylvania, were interesting and well attend¬ 
ed. Secretary Brown has made an excel¬ 
lent reputation as a fair manager during 
the two years in which he has held the of¬ 
fice* E. G. P. 
No ingenuity of barbarism—no devil¬ 
ish invention of the masters of torture 
during the time of the Spanish inquisi¬ 
tion ever de¬ 
vised an agony 
so intense, so 
persistent, so 
long enduring, 
so nerve - har¬ 
rowing as that 
which is suf¬ 
fered day after 
day by the 
women whose 
distinctly femi¬ 
nine organism 
is deranged 
or diseased. There 
are three most trying 
times in every wom¬ 
an’s life ; ist—when 
girlhood blossoms 
into womanhood; 2d, 
—when motherhood 
is achieved ; 3d — 
when the capacity for motherhood ceases 
(the change of life.) 
Dr. Pierce’s Favorite Prescription was 
devised to make these three periods safe 
and painless by restoring to vigorous 
health the organs involved. It soothes, 
heals, nourishes. It gives Nature just 
the help it needs. It is the only prepara¬ 
tion of its kind devised by a regularly 
graduated physician and skilled spec¬ 
ialist in the diseases of women. 
Me - too - medicines are preparations 
without standing or success. They are 
the substitutes sold as “just as good.” 
Having no record of their own, when Dr. 
Pierce’s cures are referred to they cry 
me-too, me-too, like the cuckoo in a 
Swiss clock. Don’t accept me-too medi¬ 
cines for “ Favorite Prescription.” 
Mrs. M. Barnes, of Balls Ferry, Shasta Co., Cal., 
writes: “My physician said I was suffering from 
the effects of ‘change of life.’ I had heart dis¬ 
ease, and female trouble and rheumatism. My 
head was so dizzy I could hardly stand up. When 
I began Dr. Pierce’s medicines I improved right 
along. I took seven or eight bottles of the ‘ Fa¬ 
vorite Prescription,’ a teaspoonful three times a 
day, and the 1 Pleasant Pellets ’ at night. I feel 
as well as I ever did. I take great pleasure in 
recommendiug Dr. Pierce's medicines to suffer¬ 
ing women. I think that they are the best 
medicines in the world.” 
Wherever the pain may he, 
there Is the place for an 
POROUS 
PIASTERS 
To Subscription Agents. 
Twenty-nine cash prizes will go out October 1 to the 
agents who have sent us the largest 29 clubs of trial subscrip¬ 
tions since August 15. As yet, there is not a large club in the 
whole bunch. There is not a single agent making any push at 
all for these prizes. Why, we cannot explain. The first prize 
is $50, the second $40, the third $30, and so on. The writer 
has taken more subscriptions himself in a single day’s canvass 
than any one agent yet has to his credit on this contest. Clubs 
of 10 have come in great abundance, but no large clubs. There 
are only a few days left; yet there is time enough for any one 
to start in now and capture the first prize. Don’t you want a 
$50 check badly enough to put in a week’s work for it ? A good 
week’s work will bring it. We will send you samples if you 
want them. THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, New York. 
CHOLERA 
Save Your Hogs. 
SURE CURE and 
PREVENTIVE. 
\Ve have no medicine to sell, but have an effective remedy which will check the ravages of the 
t 1 *• plague and save your hogs. The disease is caused by a germ. This preparation is a power 
ful antiseptic which destroy* t He germs without injury to the hogs. The material can bo obtained at 
any village store at the cost of a few cents. Any farmer can prepare and apply it. If used in time is 
a certain preventive and a sure cure for hogs not too far gone. I>’ull information with direr- 
SS “The Ho g, by 15 Specialists” SSHBS 
es information on every phase of hog raising and marketing by the most eminent authorities experienced 
hog raisers and packers in the U. S. and Canada. To save the millions of dollars annually lost to farmers 
through this plague we dslre to give this book the widest possible distribution and at the same time intro- 
readers The NATIONAL RURAL and FAMILY MAGAZINE America’s Great- 
For *1 we will send 5 co¬ 
pies of each. For *1.50 we 
will send lO copies and a 
book, and a year’s suscrip- 
tion to the club raiser free. 
To send The Rural 13 
weeks on trial(price 25c) 
and a copy of the above 
work (price 25c) to any 
address for only 
25c.iss.s cider 
Make up a club of lo and thus assist in stamping out or preventing the swine plague from getting a 
foot hold in your neighborhood. Address THl. KATIOXAh RURAL, Chicago, Ill. b b 
